Apparatus for coating wire and the like



Oct. 28, 1947. w. G. DAHLSITRQM 2,429,870

PvPARATUS FOR COATIG WIR-E AND THE LIKE 'n Filed June `8, 1944 IVENITOR:

im Ta 6 mfzrw/r iwf/rey l Patented Oer. .28, `1947 maures lrolt comme wma Walter G. Dahlstrom, Worcester, Mass., assignor to The American Steel andv Wire. Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 8, 1944, Serial No. 539,344

4 om. (ci. 91-32) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the application'of a' liquid coating material to a moving bodysuch as a cord, wire, or cable.

Heretofore, in the application of coating materials to ilexible bodies such as a traveling wire or thelike, it has been the custom to use a die xedly mounted and equipped with external adjusting mechanism for guiding the moving body through the axial bore oi the die. .'Ihi's prior practice is open to the objection that any slight changes in the external setting of the die mounting, or variations in conditions inherent in the construction and operation of the devices, has caused the body such as the wire or cable being coated to be deflected from the true axis of the die opening, and this has resulted objectionably in the application of uneven'coating on the moving body. l

The chief object of the present invention is to overcome deficiencies inherent in prior coating practice, and to provide'apparatus which will insure an even or uniform distribution of coating material over the advancing cord, wire, or cable.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for floatingly supporting a coatingdis' tributing die by a buoyant fluid so that the coating material applied to the wire or similar moving body is uniformly distributed over the exterior surface thereof.

The above and related features of the invention will be more fully apparent from a consideration of the following detailed disclosure, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

1n the drawings:

Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates an installation for giving eiect to the herein claimed l invention.

.body to be coated passes upwardly through a tubular member 20 and thence through a die 22 secured to a float 24 which is buoyantly supportby a hub 30 forming part of a spider-like skeleton frame 32 having an annularrim 34 tted to the tank I8.

The die 22 has an externally threaded shank 36 so as to removably secure it to the iioat. Thus lthe same float is adapted to support dies having different sizes of axial bores 33 for operation on difierentgauges of wire.- The axial bore is ared or tapered at its entrance end, as indicated at 40. At its upper'portion the die carries a ilange 44 adapted to have one or more slotted weights 46 seated thereon.

vThe wire or cable to be coated may be pulled through the apparatus by any suitable means known to those skilled in the art. By way of example I have illustrated a pull-out including a pair of drums or capstans 48 and 5t around which the Wire will be wound several times. From the capstan 50 the coated wire or cable passes to the take-up drum 52. A motor 5d and suitable transmission elements are provided for driving the capstan 50 and take-up reel 52.

In coating wire by the improved apparatus Y of the present invention, the body to be coated ed'by a body of liquid 26 held in a container 23 which'may be conveniently supported on the tube 2B. The tube 20 in turn may be supported ,terial on the moving body.

passes through the coating liquid i8, and a quantity of the material, depending upon the viscosity thereof and the speed of travel of the body, will adhere thereto and be carried upwardly to the tapered or conical entrance' 40 of the' die. The coating substance, because of its viscosity and the speed of application, will exert a force on this tapering or conical entrance portion ofv the die bore which may be resolved into horizontal and vertical components. The vertical component of the force will be opposed by gravity and the weight of the die and adjustable weights 46 supported thereon. The horizontal component of the force exerted on the tapered or conical die entrance, because of the buoyancy of the die support, will be distributed equally throughout the surface area and thus cause the'moving body such as the wire or cable I2 to travel at all times through the die bore 38 in a line truly coincident withthe axis of the die, hence resulting in an even or uniform distribution of the coating ma- The liquid 26 which buoyantly supports the iloat 24 which in turn supports the die in a self-centering manner, may be water, glycerine, mercury, or other fluids, depending uponthe buoyancy required to support the float, the die, and the weights 46, when the latter are used. By calculation, the weight of the conical entrance 40 of the die. However, for practical purposes it is advantageous to provide adjustable weights 46 to compensate for the added speed of coating or greater viscosity of coating material in order that a correct balance will be maintained between the weight of the die and its float and the forces exerted at the conical entrance, thus" providing means whereby a die having a predetermined bore diameter may be used for diil'erent viscosities of coating material and 10 buoyaru'- medium, and a die supporting member speeds of wire travel through the die.

While I have herein illustrated and described a preferred means for making the invention available, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto, since various modlncations and substi- 16;.'

tutions of equivalents may be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

i 1. Apparatus for coating wire, comprising 20 means for applying coating material thereto, a die having an upright opening therein through which the coated wire passes, a container for a buoyant medium, a die-supporting member,l floating in said medium, the die having a taperingz entrance bore, and weights seated on the float adapted to compensate for variations in the viscosity of the coating material and the rate of travel of the wire through the die, so that a correct balance is maintained between the wight 89 wire passes upon emergence from the coating 0 549,255 I material. a container spaced above the level ot the coating material and secured to the tubular die having an upright opening therein through which the coated wire passes, va container lor a floating in said medium, the die having a ore with an entrance portion converging toward the exit end thereof.

4. Apparatus for coating a flexible tenuous article, comprising means for applying coating l material thereto,l a die having an upright vertical opening through which the article passes, a container for a buoyant medium, and a die supporting member iloating in said medium, the die having an elongated substantially parallel walled bore with a flared entrance portion converging toward said bore.

WALTER G. DAI-ILSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of thispatent: v

UNITED STATES lfATENTS' Number Name Date 2,238,687 Flynn Apr. 15, 1941 2,291,720 Hukle Aug. 4, 1942 1,015,705 ONell et al Jan. 23, 1912 2,238,575 Alexay Apr. 15, 1941 2,357,168 Bruming Aug. 29, 1944 FOREIGN lrA'I-rrn'rs Number CountryA Date Great Britain Nov.v 12, 1942 comprising 

